Where is the Recycle Bin in Xiaomi Redmi 9 and how to return deleted files

Deleting important photos, documents or videos from Xiaomi Redmi 9 is a familiar situation for many users. Unlike computers where the basket is always in plain sight, in smartphones on MIUI, its location is not so obvious. Moreover, the standard basket in Redmi 9 does not work with all types of files, and its contents are automatically cleared after 30 days. If you are looking for where the basket is in the phone and how to recover deleted data, this article will help you understand all the nuances.

Many people mistakenly believe that the Recycle Bin in Xiaomi is a universal storage for all deleted files, like Windows or macOS. In fact, in MIUI, the Recycle Bin is integrated only into the gallery and file manager, with restrictions. For example, files deleted through third-party applications (such as Google Photos or WhatsApp) end up in their own shopping cart, not in the system. Next, we will discuss in detail where to look for the Recycle Bin in different scenarios and how to recover lost data as efficiently as possible.

If you deleted files a long time ago (more than a month ago) or manually cleaned the trash, the chances of recovery through standard MIUI tools are minimal, in which case you will need specialized programs, which we will also talk about, but first, how to find the basket in Redmi 9 and what can be done with it.

Where is the basket in the standard gallery Xiaomi Redmi 9

The most obvious way to find deleted files is to look into the Recycle Bin of the standard MIUI Gallery, which automatically saves photos and videos deleted by the user for 30 days, and to open it:

1. Launch the Gallery app (an icon with colorful photos).

2. Slip on three horizontal lines (menu) in the lower right corner.

3. Select the "Basket" option - all deleted media files will be displayed here.

If the item "Basket" is not on the menu, it means:

• 📱 You use a third-party gallery (such as Google Photos or Simple Gallery) – the shopping cart may be located elsewhere or not.
• 🗑️ The basket was manually cleaned earlier.
• ⚙️ In the gallery settings, automatic backup is disabled (check in Gallery Settings). → Basket).

In the gallery cart, you can: restore files (click on file → “Restore”), delete permanently (“Delete”), or clean the entire cart (“Clean the cart” in the upper right corner).

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If the gallery cart doesn’t have the right files, check the DCIM/.thumbnails folder through the file manager – sometimes thumbnails of photos are saved there even after deleting.

Recycle Bin in MIUI File Manager: Where to Look for Deleted Documents

Unlike a gallery, the MIUI file manager (Files app) has a basket for documents, audio and other files, not for photos.

1. Open the Files app (folder icon).

2. Go to the Categories tab (bottom of the screen).

3. Scroll down and select "Basket."

It stores files that have been deleted through the built-in file manager, but not those that have been erased through third-party applications (such as ES Explorer or Total Commander), and the same 30 days of storage.

Please note:

• 📄 Word, Excel or Documents PDF, remotely WPS Office or Microsoft Office, falls into the baskets of these applications, not the system.
• 🎵 Music files deleted through a player (such as Mi Music) may not appear in the file manager basket.
• 🔍 If the file is not found, try searching through the file manager (magnifying glass icon).

What to do if the cart is empty or files are deleted long ago

If the gallery or file manager does not have the files in the cart, it means that:

• 🗓️ More than 30 days have passed since the removal (autocleaning).
• 🧹 The basket was hand-cleaned.
• 📲 Files were deleted through a third-party application (e.g. WhatsApp, Telegram, Google Drive).
• 🔄 The phone was reset to factory settings.

In such cases, standard MIUIs are useless, but there are several alternative ways to recover:

1. Check the cloud backups:

Google Photos (if synchronization is enabled)

Mi Cloud (Xiaomi Cloud, check Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud).

Yandex Drive, Dropbox or other services, if you have used them.

2. Use specialized programs for data recovery:

DiskDigger (for photos and videos)

Recuva (requires root rights for deep scanning)

Dr.Fone (a paid solution with a high chance of recovery)

3. Check the Recycle or.Trash folder through the file manager with hidden files (e.g. Solid Explorer).

Important! The less you use your phone after deleting files, the better the chances of recovering them, and the new data can overwrite deleted files, making it impossible to recover them.

How to recover files from the cart WhatsApp, Telegram and other messengers

Many Redmi 9 users have a problem: they have deleted a photo or video on WhatsApp or Telegram, but they do not have it in the system basket, because messengers have their own baskets that do not sync with MIUI.

Here’s where to look for deleted files in popular apps:

If files have been deleted from the messenger basket, try:

• 🔍 Search them in the application folder through the file manager (for example, WhatsApp/Media or Telegram/Telegram Images).
• 🔄 Restore from backup (for WhatsApp – via Google Drive, for Telegram – through chat export).

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Files sent via instant messengers are often duplicated in application folders. Check Internal Storage → Android → media → com.whatsapp or similar paths for other instant messengers.

How to permanently delete files from the cart so they don’t recover

If you want to permanently erase files (for example, before selling your phone), simply removing them from the cart is not enough, data can be recovered using special programs, to ensure that files are deleted:

1. Clean the basket manually:

In the gallery: open the basket → click “Clean the basket”.

In the file manager: go to the basket → “Clean”.

2. Use the Safe Deletion function:

Install the Shreddit or Secure Delete app from Google Play.

Select files and use the option “Safe Deletion” (repeated data overwriting).

3. format the phone's memory:

Go to Settings → Memory → Memory Cleanup → Format.

This will delete all data from the phone, including apps and settings.

⚠️ Note: If you sell or transfer your phone to another person, it is not enough to simply clear the cart. Use a full reset (Settings) → The phone. → Reset settings) and format the memory card separately.

Frequent mistakes when working with the basket on Xiaomi Redmi 9

Many users make mistakes that lead to permanent data loss, and the most common ones are:

1. Ignoring the notifications of cleaning the basket.

MIUI automatically clears the cart every 30 days, but before that it shows a notification, if you ignore it, the files will be deleted without the possibility of recovery through system means.

2. Delete files through third-party applications.

For example, if you delete photos through Google Photos, they end up in the Google shopping cart, not MIUI. Many users search for them in the wrong place.

3. disable backup in Mi Cloud.

Without cloud synchronization, it will be impossible to recover files after a phone reset or breakdown.

4. Use the phone after deleting files.

New data (photos, videos, application installation) can overwrite deleted files, making their recovery impossible.

5. Attempts to recover files without root rights.

Many programs (like Recuva) require root access for deep scanning, and without it, the chances of recovery are much lower.

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To avoid data loss, set up automatic backup to Mi Cloud or Google Photos. Go to Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud → Backup and enable synchronization for the desired file types.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions About the Redmi 9 Cart